Fort Worth man cashes in lottery ticket worth nearly $1 million
A local man who recently plunked down $2 for a Weekly Grand scratch off lottery ticket appears to have made a good investment.
George L. West ended up winning the game’s top prize — $1,000 a week for the next 20 years.
But West, a Fort Worth man who asked for minimal publicity, ended up choosing the cash value and walked away this week with a lump sum of $828,089.60, according to Texas Lottery Commission officials.
West bought the winning ticket at the Lucky No. 7 Food Mart, 1201 Country Club Lane, in east Fort Worth.
A man who didn’t identify himself at the store answered the phone Wednesday and said customers have been talking about the lucky ticket sold at their location.
The store is now eligible for a $10,000 bonus for selling the ticket in the first place.
It has been several months since any Tarrant County resident claimed a big prize from the Texas Lottery Commission. The last sizable win came in April, when Johnny Denton of Fort Worth cashed in a scratch-off ticket worth $2.5 million.
As for West, the prize he won the third of five top prizes offered in the Weekly Grand game.
That scratch off game offers more than $49 million in overall prizes and the odds of winning any prize in the game are one in 3.95.
Texans like West, who don’t want to talk about their lucky wins, often ask the lottery commission for “minimal publicity.” After Sept. 1, a new Texas law will let anyone who wins at least $1 million ask to remain anonymous — and have no personal information released to the public.
The Texas Lottery began selling tickets in 1992.
Since then, officials say, it has generated more than $25 billion in revenue for the state, including more than $19 billion for Texas public education and more than $66 million for Texas veterans.
The Lottery also has given out more than $50 billion in prizes, including $3.27 billion in 2016.
Anna Tinsley: 817-390-7610, @annatinsley
This story was originally published August 2, 2017 at 2:44 PM with the headline "Fort Worth man cashes in lottery ticket worth nearly $1 million."